Tetsuya, Chelsea and the esteemed Lord Edward set off into the night, taking a horse-drawn covered wagon to Galanis' Village. Unarmed and untrained, the villagers were at the mercy of whatever peril the Wildlands threw their way. One night it could be a pack of dire wolves, the next night it could be an orc raiding party. Arming the villagers with weapons was a simple enough task, teaching them how to use those weapons to defend themselves was a completely different story. Turning a group of inexperienced villagers into a combat-ready militia was an unenviable task, but if anyone could do it, it would have to be Lord Edward Prescott.
"We're making good time," Lord Edward spoke, his voice regal and dignified. "We should arrive there at dusk."
A member of the Queensguard for forty plus years, Lord Edward spends most of his free time serving as a guest instructor at the Alfheim Royal Academy. The grizzled veteran took great pride in teaching the next generation of soldiers, molding them like clay and cultivating their talents. The old man cared very little for fame or recognition. He did not care if his name would be spoken by the lips of historians, or if tales of his deeds would be sung by bards. What mattered to him the most is for his knowledge to pass on from one generation of soldiers to the next. That was the legacy that he wanted to leave behind in this world.
The inside of the wagon was uncomfortably cramped, they had filled it to capacity with as much weapon as they could carry in a single trip. Time was of the essence, and the fewer trips they had to make, the better. Chelsea had it the worst. Her tall, statuesque body and thick, battle-sculpted physique were not suited for such a confined space. The half-orc woman sat awkwardly with her knees together, ankles crossed and her hands on her lap. It was her futile attempt to take up as little space as possible. Tetsuya found it oddly endearing, seeing the habitually boisterous half-orc sitting so demurely. It was cute... But, ultimately, unbefitting of her.
"It's a long trip," the boy whispered to her. "You should try to relax."
"Easy for you to relax with your petite, ladylike figure," Chelsea whispered back.
"I'm not petite and I'm not ladylike," Tetsuya said, puffing out his chest.
Chelsea laughed, amused at the boy's apparent lack of self-awareness. "You're like a fair maiden," she teased.
"F-fair maiden?" Tetsuya muttered, not liking the direction the conversation was heading.
"Your arms are weak and frail, like you've never lifted a weapon before," Chelsea said.
"That's because I'm from a place where I never needed to lift a weapon before," the boy retorted.
"Your complexion is pale, like a high-born woman who has never worked a day under the sun," Chelsea observed, studying him closely.
"That's because I mostly stay in my room and..." the boy muttered a string of inaudible words. "Video games... Anime..."
"Your skin is soft, like the finest silk in all the land," Chelsea said, running the back of her hand gently down the boy's face.
"That's because... I... Uh... Moisturize..." Tetsuya said, hanging his head in defeat.
The half-orc gave him a patronizing pat on the back. "You'll make a fine wife someday, my lady," she said, grinning from ear to ear.
Lord Edward chuckled to himself, unable to help himself from eavesdropping on their conversation. Listening to the pair banter back and forth brought back memories of his days as a young adventurer, of the road that he had traveled and of the companions that he met along the way. He looked at the pair sitting across from him and couldn't help but wonder where the road would lead them and what waited for them at the end of it.
"Lady Astrid tells me that you intend to join the Queensguard," Lord Edward spoke to Chelsea. “Is that correct?”
Chelsea sat up straight. "Yes, my lord," she replied, nodding her head. "Joining the Queensguard has been my dream for as long as I could remember."
"I've taught countless studies at the academy, almost all of them have that exact same dream as you," the old man said.
"I've seen that fire burning in their eyes, the same fire that's burning in yours," he continued on.
"And I've watched that fire go out when they realize that their dream was out of their reach," he said, a bit of sadness in his voice.
Chelsea fell silent. The old man spoke a harsh truth. The world is filled with those who dream, but more often than not, those dreams go unfulfilled. Sometimes it was due to a lack of effort. Sometimes the opportunity just never presents itself. Sometimes you could do everything right and still fall short in the end.
"The road that lies ahead of you is a long and arduous one," Lord Edward warned. "You realize this, I'm sure."
"I'm prepared to walk that road until my feet give out from under me," Chelsea said adamantly, her voice brimming with resolve.
"And if your feet do give out from under you?" the old man asked.
"Then I'll crawl the rest of the way," she replied.
The old man chuckled, satisfied with her response.
"Should the time ever come when you find yourself stumbling down a dark, unfamiliar path. Hold on to your dream like a torch in the night. I swear on my honor you will never be led astray." Lord Edward said.
Chelsea sat quietly, taking the old man's words to heart.
“What made you want to be a Queensguard, my lord?” Tetsuya asked.
The elderly man smiled. “Love,” he said.
The boy raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a response. He expected such an accomplished warrior to be driven by honor or glory. Love, not so much.
“Her name is Edith," Lord Edward explained. "She was born to a wealthy mercantile family. I was born a baker’s son. Her family would have never approved of her marrying down to someone of my social status. So I did what any fool in love would do. I set out to change my social status, the only way I knew how..."
"By joining the Queensguard," Tetsuya took a wild guess.
The old man nodded. "I made a name for myself as an adventurer. Risking life and limb, taking part in all manners of dangerous quests" he continued. "I've hunted dragons, slain chimeras, scouted the Ashlands, assassinated orc warchiefs. You name it, I've done it."
"Eventually, the day finally came when I caught the eye of the Alfheim Royal Family." Lord Edward said. "His grace, King Connor offered me a place in the Queensguard. I, of course, accepted."
"The very next day, I married my darling Edith," the old man said, a warm and gentle smile on his face. "We have been happily married for over forty years."
"You did all that for the woman that you love..." Tetsuya thought out loud.
"Nothing can compel a man to turn into a fool more so than a woman that he loves." the old man smiled "I can only hope that one day you might be lucky enough to have a woman in your life that you would be willing to do something incredibly foolish for."
The wagon came to an abrupt stop.
A cacophony of deep, bellowing roars pierced through the silence of the night. It sent a shiver down Tetsuya's spine, for it was not unlike the howl of the dire wolves that beleaguered his nightmares as of late. He gripped the hilt of his short sword tightly, fearing for the worst, but trying his best to put on a brave face.
"A pack of orthruses is blocking our route, my lord!" the driver shouted. "I can't get any closer or they'll attack our horse!"
"How many of them are there?" Lord Edward asked, his voice calm and unwavering.
"More than a dozen!" the driver replied.
"Pardon me," the old man said, flashing his young companions a courteous smile. "This will only take a moment."
"Let me help!" Chelsea exclaimed, her face bursting with excitement. Seeing a member of the Queensguard in action is a sight to behold. She dared not miss the opportunity to fight side by side with Lord Edward, just as she did with Lady Astrid.
"If you insist, young lady. I will gladly accept your assistance," Lord Edward said, giving her a nod of approval. "Do be careful, though. Orthruses might not look like much, but they are vicious beasts, specially when cornered."
Memories of the night that they faced off against the pack of dire wolves replayed in Tetsuya's head. He remembered the dire wolves sinking their sharp fangs into Chelsea's flesh. He remembered the fear and apprehension that engulfed him. But most of all, he remembered how helpless he felt, watching from the sidelines, being too weak to do anything.
"I'll help too," Tetsuya said, the resolve in his heart outweighing the fear in his mind.
"No. It's too dangerous," Chelsea said curtly. "You should stay here where it's safe."
Tetsuya shook his head. "I'm not going to sit back and watch you put yourself in danger again," the boy insisted.
Chelsea looked at the boy, a bit confused. She was stronger and a more experienced fighter than him. It was natural for her to be worried about his safety.
"There's no substitute for practical combat experience," Lord Edward said, smiling kindly at the boy, beckoning for him to follow.
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The trio disembarked from their wagon and out into the cold night. They were greeted by a pack of two-headed hounds. The vicious beasts paced around frantically, perhaps searching for their next meal.
Tetsuya's hands were shaking, barely able to hold his short sword and buckler.
Lord Edward took note and tried his best to assuage the boy's worries. "Steel yourself," the old man whispered to the boy. "You're the one holding a weapon. You're the one wearing armor. You're the one with something to protect."
The old man unsheathed his longsword. "You're the one that these beasts should fear, not the other way around," he said as he charged fearlessly at the pack of wild beasts.
The pack of orthruses commenced their attack. Their howls, a battle cry into the night. The leader of the pack was the first to pounce, lunging at Lord Edward with the intent to kills burning in its eyes. The old man sidestepped the attack without much effort, he brought down the blade of his longsword, swiftly severing both of the orthrus' heads in one blow. The old man's movements were quick and agile, deceptively so for someone of his age.
Tetsuya watched as one of the two-headed hounds charged towards him. He swung his sword wildly at the beast, only to miss and leave himself wide open for an attack. The orthrus sank its fangs deep into the flesh of his forearm, causing the boy to grimace in pain. The force of the charging animal was enough to knock the boy to the ground, its jaws locked down on his forearm, refusing to let go, twisting and torquing it, attempting to rip his arm out of its socket.
Chelsea saw the boy in dire straits. She attempted to rush to his aid but was intercepted by three orthuses lunging at her in tandem. She hacked away at them with her axe, desperate to finish them off quickly so that she could help Tetsuya.
"Get back to your feet!" Lord Edward shouted at the boy. "They'll go for your throat if you stay on the ground!"
Out of desperation, the boy used his buckler to bash in the skull of his attacker, hammering away at it until its powerful jaw loosened its hold on his injured limb. The beast relented momentarily, retreating a few paces back. One of its heads hanging limp and lifeless from its body.
Tetsuya struggled to stand up. Blood flowed freely from the lacerations in his arm. It was the first time in his life that he had seen so much of his own blood.
"Take out both of its heads!" Lord Edward instructed. "As long as one of its heads remains, it will continue to attack!"
Finally dispatching of the three beasts that were in her way, Chelsea stepped in and buried the blade of her battle axe in the skull of the boy's attacker, finishing it off for good.
"Are you okay?" Chelsea asked, deeply concerned for the boy.
"Never felt better," the boy lied through his teeth. He could barely hold his sword after all of the damage that his sword arm took.
Lord Edward took note of the injury the boy had sustained as well as the look of uncertainty on his face. "The battle does not end just because you are hurt! If you can still breathe, then you can still fight!" he shouted at the boy. "The moment that you lose hope in the field of battle is the moment that you forfeit your life!"
A second orthrus lunged at Tetsuya, this time the boy swatted it down mid-attack with his buckler, reacting out of instinct and adrenaline alone. The stunned two-headed beast stumbled to the ground in a daze. Chelsea took advantage of the opening and swung her axe down, hacking away at its pair of necks in a spray of blood.
A third orthrus sank its fangs into the boy's left leg. He bashed it on the head with his buckler, hard enough to daze the animal and allow him to free his leg. The boy gave it a swift kick, sending it staggering back. The beast would not relent and came charging back at the boy. Chelsea rushed in to intercept the beast and finish it off, cleaving its skulls in with her axe.
Another orthrus charged at Chelsea, leaping in the air and swiping its razor-sharp claws at her body. The half-orc and sent the beast reeling back with a swift kick to its body. Tetsuya lunged at the stunned beast and pummeled it with his buckler. The boy hammered away at the beast, bludgeoning it over and over again, long after its body had already gone limp. Its heads were an unrecognizable mush of flesh and bones.
Chelsea placed a hand on Tetsuya's shoulder, snapping the boy out of his trance. The boy looked around to see that the battle was already over. Lord Edward had exterminated the majority of the orthruses on his own, their lifeless bodies scattered around him.
Lord Edward gave the young adventurers a warm, fatherly smile. "Well done, you both did well," he commended the pair. "You two make quite a team."
The young adventurers grinned at each other. It was the first time that they fought side by side, it was a feeling that they couldn't quite explain. At that moment, they felt like there was nothing in the world that could stop them.
A deep, loud, bellow interrupted their brief moment of respite. A set of heavy footsteps were approaching from the distance, drawing closer and closer.
"That doesn't sound good," Tetsuya said to himself, his voice filled with dread.
"The two of you, stay back," Lord Edward said firmly. "Let me handle this one."
From out of the woods came a giant three-headed hound. It was the size of a large elephant, but its movements were as nimble as a small cat.
"What is that?" Tetsuya asked, watching the large beast with a horrified expression on his face.
"A cerberus," Chelsea replied, her expression grim. "I've heard stories about such beasts, but I've never encountered one in the flesh before."
"How do you even fight something like this?" the boy wondered out loud.
"If it's made of flesh and blood, then it can be killed," Lord Edward said calmly as he sprinted towards the large beast.
The cerberus raised it's front right leg and slammed into the ground, barely missing the old man by a hair. Lord Edward maneuvered himself behind the beast's front leg, driving his long sword into its flesh and severing its tendons. The cerberus let out an anguished howl as it attempted to stand up on its remaining three legs. Within seconds of engaging in combat, Lord Edward had already maimed the beast, debilitating its offensive capabilities.
"Always keep your wits about you!" Lord Edward shouted to the two adventurers watching his flawless demonstration. "A wounded beast is far more dangerous than an unwounded one!"
The old man continued his work. He sprinted towards the front left leg of the beast. He raised his sword and his second strike was just a swift as the first, his blade found the tendons and severed it just as he did with the other one. The cerberus keeled over, having lost the use of both of its front legs.
The old man followed up by thrusting his blade into the leftmost head of the beast. The large beast flailed around violently, but it was useless. For even the feral beast could tell that it was nearing its last breath. Lord Edward drove his blade into the neck of the rightmost head, severing its arteries in a spray of blood. The old man finished off the beast by thrusting his blade through the right eye of the remaining head, giving the beast a merciful end.
Tetsuya and Chelsea were speechless, all they could do was stare in disbelief. The elderly man had just slain a cerberus like it was nothing.
"I'm getting too old for this," Lord Edward chuckled to himself, wiping the blood from the blade of his sword with a handkerchief.
The old man walked over to the young adventurers, carefully examining their wounds. Tetsuya took the brunt of the punishment, his sword arm mangled and bleeding profusely. Chelsea remained relatively unscathed with only a few superficial cuts on her body, much to the boy's relief. "Nothing my healing artifact can't fix," he said, giving each of them a pat on the shoulder. "Come, let's head back to our wagon before more beasts find us. I'll treat your wounds on our way to the village."